Furnace Record Pressing will open a new 50,000 square-foot vinyl record pressing plant in January of 2018 in Fairfax, Virginia.

Furnace Record Pressing was founded in 1996 by music industry veteran Eric Astor. According to company officials, the new plant will fill a desperate industry need for more vinyl record production capacity while creating 40-plus new jobs in Northern Virginia.

“In 21-years of running Furnace, this has been the hardest but most rewarding thing we’ve ever accomplished,” says Founder & CEO Eric Astor. “We have an incredible staff who are passionate about vinyl, love our customers and are always looking for better ways of doing everything. Their commitment is really what makes this company special and why I’m so confident this expansion will be successful.”

Work on the plant started years ago with a stable of old-school record pressing workhorses: ten automatic Toolex Alpha record presses Furnace tracked down in Mexico, officials said. They took the best machines of the past and dragged them into the future by adding all new electronics, chrome, paint, hoses, switches, valves and modern day logic controllers. Furnace also developed their own manually-run record presses to handle the increased demand for specialty color vinyl pressings and picture discs.

Furnace is also bringing all new technology to the industry, teaming up with Viryl Technologies of Canada to feature two of their state-of-the-art WarmTone pressing machines.

“Viryl Technologies couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Furnace in the building of their new pressing plant” said Chad Brown, CEO of Viryl Technologies. “The Furnace team has always been at the forefront of the industry and has a great reputation for high quality, audiophile standards. The inclusion of WarmTone machinery on their plant floor is a testament to their dedication in pushing the boundaries of vinyl manufacturing.”

“I come from the DIY punk scene, so it’s always been my mission to cater to independent artists and labels, many of which have been pushed to the back of the line with the current resurgence in demand for vinyl,” says Astor. “I’m excited that this expansion will allow us to do just that.”